1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to laths.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is generally desirable to apply a material, such as a cladding, on to a surface, such as a substrate. A cladding may be applied for various reasons, including substrate protection and ornamental design. Stucco plaster is a common cladding utilized in construction. Stucco plaster may be applied directly to a substrate, or a lath may be utilized. A lath is generally mounted to a substrate before stucco plaster is applied.
A lath generally provides structural support for stucco plaster. Structural support is achieved when stucco plaster is “keyed” to a lath, which generally means that sufficient stucco plaster is applied around a lath. In order to have sufficient keying of stucco plaster around a lath, portions of a lath are spaced away from a substrate.
A lath may be made from various materials, for instance welded wire, and may have various forms, including a grid shape. Because it is desirable to space portions of a lath away from a substrate in order to have sufficient keying, self-furring laths were developed. A self-furring welded-wire lath generally has a series of furrs or crimps formed into the lath, which may for example be one quarter inch in depth. Furrs may be roll formed or stamped into the lath after the lath is formed. Both roll forming and stamping of furrs cause shrinkage of a distance between two end points of a wire of a welded-wire lath. So that a lath remains relatively flat, rows of furrs are formed in about the same position on each parallel wire of a lath so that there is generally uniform shrinkage of every parallel wire.
The furring portions of a self-furring lath generally rest against a substrate so that the remaining portions of the self-furring lath are spaced away from the substrate. Furthermore, fasteners, such as nails, screws, bolts, staples, pins or the like, are generally utilized to attach the lath to the substrate. Accordingly, the portions of the lath spaced away from the substrate may be sufficiently keyed when stucco plaster is applied. However, seismic events or fatigue of a structure may cause a fastener to become de-attached from the lath, or may cause breaking of a weld or a lath wire. Furthermore, such detachment or breakage may cause stucco plaster to crack.